The best vehicle for carrying this out would be a
provincial council like the one set up in 2003, and through a similarly
inclusive process. Importantly, Shiite militias should play no role in
post-Islamic State security and governance. Because Nineveh and the
other Sunni Arab provinces lack significant energy resources and the
leverage they provide, Kurdish-style constitutional autonomy is not a
viable option. Nonetheless, Baghdad and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi
will need to be prepared to make more explicit commitments about levels
of resourcing, and also perhaps grant the region greater autonomy in
determining spending priorities.

Soleimani is rumored to have arrived in Iraq last week to prepare for
the battle of Mosul with the Iraqi government forces and PMF. An unnamed
Iraqi parliamentarian claimed in an Asharq al Awsat article on August 3 that Soleimani arrived without a passport and visited Mosul, Kirkuk, and the Nineveh area.

Preparations for the offensive have been meticulous. Led by a
highly experienced U.S. Army general, Sean McFarland, the U.S. military
and its allies — especially the Canadians — have trained a combination
of Iraqi-army units and Kurdish peshmerga forces for the assault. In
recent weeks, they have also cut ISIS supply lines and facilitation
nodes that surround the city. In addition, with the Tigris River cutting
through Mosul’s center, the Iraqi army has a terrain feature against
which ISIS forces can be compressed. If Western leaders are willing to
embed their air -attack controllers with Iraqi units, success will be
far more likely.

The problem is not in liberation of Mosul, it is what happens after
ISIS. This is a very important point. There should be an agreement
between all parties before the battle starts, under the supervision of
US, coalition and the UN in order to prevent tension and problems. There
is the possibility that after liberation there will be problems, as
there is now in Shingal or similar to what happened in Tuz Khurmatu.
When there are three or four different groups and they in dispute, for
sure this will cause problems. I am not sure if foreign combat forces
will be part of the operation or not, but according to some information,
their numbers are increasing day by day.
.
.
Mosul is an important province in Iraq. It’s land size is about 37-38
thousands square kilometers, and its population is more than 3 million
people, therefore Mosul is important for many actors: the Americans, the
Kurds, Sunnis, Iraqi government as well as Iran and Turkey, and there
are important minorities like Yezidis and Christians and they have been
oppressed a lot in Mosul. The US and EU are carefully watching the Mosul
battle and they will do so after liberation. There are Turkish forces
in the Mosul area, and Iran is also watching the battle with interest,
therefore this battle will be very different from other battles that
have taken place in Iraq.

The last time borders were drawn in the Middle
East was in 1914, when European diplomats drew illogical borders based
upon British and French zones of influence; while completely
disregarding issues such as demographics, sectarianism, the economy,
natural resources, and other factors. The new borders should be drawn in
precisely the opposite manner. They should be based almost exclusively
on these issues, and, above all, along the lines of religious partition.

The solution offered here will not please
everyone. Turkey will fear the establishment of a Kurdish state on its
border. Iran will resist the decrease of its net influence in Iraq.
Israel and Jordan will also surely have concerns about the rise of a new
Sunni state on their borders. Yet I believe that an exhibition of
courageous American leadership in the region could mitigate most of
these concerns. When the rulers of the Middle East become convinced that
the US is not ‘pivoting away’ from the area, and instead is willing to
intervene in order to bring about solutions, it will also be possible to
advance controversial, but necessary initiatives.

"In the selfish and hate-laden nature of the bond, which binds together the inimical parties, lies the weakness of this technique. Though once in a while in the process of common struggle against the enemy, the bond of hatred and fear of the common enemy is transformed into a tie of real comradeship and lasting friendship, more often than not, this bond breaks as easily as it is thrown around the parties. As soon as the common enemy is defeated, the coalition of the "strange bed-fellows" disintegrates. Former enmity of the temporary allies reasserts itself, and they resume their previous struggle. In it they often enter into alliance with the defeated common enemy."

Video Title: Inside US Camp Close to IS Held Mosul. Source: National Self Reliance Association. Date Published: August 6, 2016. Description:

Hundreds of additional US troops are due to arrive in northern Iraq
to provide assistance to local forces as they prepare for a major push
to recapture Mosul from the so-called Islamic State.